Medicine & TechnologyNovartis AG, a Swiss drug maker, is seeking U.S. regulatory approval for two new drugs designed to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), otherwise known as "smoker's cough". Approval of the drugs could generate an additional $1.4 billion for the company, while helping chronic smokers breathe a little clearer in the process.
How trusting are American consumers when it comes to weight loss supplements? And exactly how easily do we fall prey to these products' marketing strategies? A recent Consumer Reports survey found that many Americans are misinformed about weight loss supplements, including their quality and efficacy.
Approvals for medicine in the United States have reached their highest levels in eighteen years, and recommendations for new drugs in Europe also came at a rapid rate, driven by expensive new treatments for cancer and other rare and serious diseases. After enduring wave after wave of patent losses on some of their larger, more popular drugs, pharmaceutical firms are beginning to recover by bringing new medicines to the market, while also improving their productivity.
The fight to stop Ebola continues to rage on across the world as researchers continue to find new ways to both detect and treat the deadly virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved a new test to detect the virus in patients believed to be suffering from the virus.
This holiday season you may want to steer clear of the sweets—or at least caramel apples. Though the caramel sweets are often an Autumn/Winter treat, health officials with the US Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are saying that they may be the link between a multi-state Listeria outbreak that has to date led to more than four deaths, and dozens of hospitalizations. Reporting this morning, Dec. 19, on the condition of the outbreak, the CDC says that at least 28 individuals spanning the states of Arizona, Texas and Minnesota have been infected and are facing the life-threatening illness.